Fourth Winter War
The Fourth Winter War lasted approximately from 1377-1386, when the forces of Beldin finally took Astrid Rock after a long siege. During this war, many of the Knights of Astrid earned their knighthood, and established themselves in the valley The Lady in White The Siege of Beldin Astrid Siege Between the Siege of Beldin and the Siege of Astrid, Beldin was beset by internal troubles and civil war. It was not until 1384 that the newly crowned King Aelfric was able to unite the kingdom enough to declare war once again upon the Aurilites. He laid Siege to Astrid Rock. The hope was that the Aurilites, whose power had been slowly waning, would be defeated quickly. Unfortunately, the siege dragged on for several years. . . Ranger's Gambit / Battle of Karenlynn The early efforts of the Adventurers' Guild were focused around securing the perimeter of Astrid, especially in the Aelfwood. For reasons of her own, the Aurilite spy White Wolf decided to reveal herself to Feyrin Raventalon, Heniandrar, and Ronin Eininfar during these expeditions (though not all at the same time). She eventually bet Ronin Eininfar that the forces of Beldin could not defend Karenlynn from a coming Aurilite attack. If she won the bet, Ronin would surrender himself to the Aurilites. If he won, then she would surrender. Beldin prepared for the coming assault on Karenlynn, and the best of the Adventurers Guild was assembled to defend the town: Ara, Indie, Heniandrar, Zilvra, Ronin Eininfar, and Vaune Nasadra. The paladin Adador was reported to have been in Karenlynn, but did not appear to defend the town. The Aurilites attacked both Karenlynn gates, and managed to take the marketplace. Then a great white dragon landed in the town, and the adventurers were forced to focus on it. Ara and Ronin Eininfar were finally able to kill the dragon, and it looked as though it would be a victory for Beldin. But then Ara, feeling confident of victory, led the remaining forces of Beldin straight into an ambush set up by the few desperate Aurilite survivors. Beldin was defeated, and the Aurilites took Karenlynn. Ronin Eininfar honored his agreement, and surrendered to the Aurilites. In the next tenday, then, the Guild launched their own attack on Astrid to rescue him. Ara summoned a dozen fire elementals to distract the Aurilites, while Vaune and Zilvra snuck into the Aurilite fort. Ronin was rescued, but Zilvra was trapped in a gem, and Delsoran (who had also been captured by the Aurilites in the meantime) did not get out in time. Battle of Ice and Fire Flurry Witchhunt Avatar Battles Battle of the Enclave This reffers to the battle of the Enclave during the Fourth Winter War. For information on the Battle of the Maidens Temple of 1391, see [http://beldin.wikia.com/wiki/The_Knights_Rebellion#Battle_of_the_Maidens_Temple here] In 1387, Aurilites managed to break into the Eilistraean Enclave. Their objective was, presumably, to get at the mythal which the Enclave guarded. Several adventurers, including Nicktaska, Igrat, Nati, and Feynot, as well as the Eininfars who lived there, defended the glade. The Aurilites not only attacked from the entrance portal, but also began opening up portals into the Enclave itself. In a daring feat of bravery Ronin Eininfar jumped through one of the portals to stop the attacks. The portal took him to Astrid Rock, where he managed to kill the sorceress who had been opening the portals, and then escape. After her forces had been defeated, Auril herself appeared, and began to taunt and gloat over the adventurers. Nictaska cast a grease spell on the ground around Auril's avatar, no doubt hoping for comic relief. Auril took this as a hostile action, and felt herself free to retaliate. Everyone was killed except for Vaune and Ronin Eininfar. Ronin held off the avatar until Vaune had escaped, and then did so himself. They later returned and raised their fallen comrades. The battle had unforeseen consequences. The gods and goddess of Beldin had a perogative, declared by AO himself, to continue any fight which mortals had begun with one of their avatars. So Auril's avatar, undefeated, remained in the valley rallying the Aurilites to her. The following record was found in the library of Beldin, by way of explanation: "Tarsakh 12, 1358: Ao spoke, and all the priests and priestesses in Beldin were silent with awe, for none had know of his existence prior in the valley. He has decreed that from henceforth all deities are to show themselves to their worshippers, and are likewise free to show themselves to their enemies as well. But since all gods and goddesses are of too great a power they shall not be allowed to effect by physical mental or matical means any mortal on Toril, unless that mortal has so effected them. In that case, the God or Goddess if free to direct their full power for good or ill until those who would seek to make such effects or the God or Goddess themselves are dead." 'The Search for the God-Slayers' Realizing that they had to kill the avatar in order to stop further mischief, the adventurers went in search of weapons which could actually harm her (the defeat in the last battle having proved that their own weapons would not suffice). They split up, and after many adventures, found the following artifacts: The Sickle of Slaughtering was found after a very long and involved search by Nati Tane. There were concerns that the Sickle (or scythe) was too dangerous to be kept by anyone who did not want to go beserk, but she kept it for some time regardless. It was eventually destroyed in the magma streams of the adamantine mines in the Morrains. The Sword of Chu Ling of Kara Tur was found by Ronin Eininfar in Kretan's Krawl. In order to draw the sword, he had to recite a poem, for only those of culture are allowed to wield the blade of Chu Ling. He used this blade to kill the Avatar. The Envious Claws were found in the passages beneath Beldin, and given to Kassia. She was not present at the defeat of the avatar, but took them on an expedition to Baator at a later date. Blood of the Gods was found by Feynot Hlam. 'Death of the Avatar' In the early spring of 1388, the Avatar of Auril appeared in Tymora's Plaza. The adventurers were ready for her. Vaune Nasadra, Mith Kal'daka Ischarri, Igrat, Nicktaska, and Ronin Eininfar faced her down in a short but intense battle. Bystanders reported being unable to see much besides bright lights, though several swore that the adventurers looked like they were going to loose more than once. Ronin Eininfar held the avatar off, while Mith, Nicktaska, and Marie blasted her with spells. Ronin fell, and so Auril advanced upon the mages and it looked as though all was lost. But at the last minute, Vaune revived Ronin, and he charged at the avatar, cutting off her head. In the end, it was a victory. The death of Auril's avatar inspired the people of Beldin, and the King proclaimed that while Aurilite morale was low the final push to take Astrid Rock should be made. Knights of the Winterwrath While most of the Beldin Knight's were searching for the means to combat Auril's avatar, a group of Aurrilites calling themselves the Knights of the Winterwrath arrived from the north. Aurrilite commanders hailed them as their answer to the Beldin Knights in an effort to boost morale, and for a time, it seemed this was not so far from the truth after all (indeed, this group was composed of powerful adventurers rather than soldiers from the Aurrilite army). With their aid, the Aurrilite force prepared to unleash one last desperate attempt to counter attack the besiegers. They would attempt to open a gateway to a plane from which a legion of Frost Salamanders would enter the valley. Although most of the Winterwrath Knight's perished during their mission, the gateway was opened. Scores of Salamanders poured into the Aelfwood and pushed the battlefront back towards the center of the woodland. Aelfwood remained heavily contested territory till the knights and adventurers discovered the means by which they could close the portal. An artifact needed to be placed into the vortex, which, according to the mages, would seal the rift. Unfortunetly, the artifact was in the possession of the remaining Winterwrath Knights, who had now made their way towards Kretins Krawl. They were ambushed just outside its entrance by Beldin's own Knights, who retrieved the artifact and gave it over to a second team (Kassia, Snae D'veerze, Edward and Xerxes), their objective being to close the rift. This second team snuck into the woods past the bulk of the army, but as they closed in to their object, they began arguing over the specifics of who would do what. Most of the team insisted that Snae be the one to sneak towards the portal and close it, since she was a trained scout. Kassia, however, refused to allow this and demanded she be the one to do it. Eventually the squad gave in, but on her way she was spotted. The rest of the party joined the fight to buy her time to reach the portal, though they sustained heavy casualties in the process. In the end, the portal was closed, and with it the last Aurrilite gambit ended. Taking of Astrid King Aelfric led the main body of the Beldin army up the northern trails to the top of Astrid Rock. While most of Auril's forces were distracted, the guild members led a smaller number of bounders up through the Astrid Deeps. After fierce fighting, they made it to the Shrine of Auril at the top of the Rock, and there killed Iyraclea, Chosen of Auril. Nearly all of the Aurilites were killed in the battle, though a few of their leaders escaped, most notably Brinja Jotunsdotr. The guild members known to have participated were Zakore, Nati Tane, Nicktaska, Igrat, Vaune Nasadra, Ronin Eininfar and Mith Kal'daka Ischarri. Aftermath The taking of Astrid Rock marked the end of the centuries long Winter Wars, although minor skirmishes with Aurrilite warbands would continue for some years later. The surviving Aurrilite commanders were hunted down and killed by Beldins knights, many of whom claimed the former Aurrilite mountain and established their own stronghold at its peak. Category:History